


Stories and Songs of Happy Endings

by nonsensicalshakespeare



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Domestic Bliss, F/F, F/M, Family, Fluff, Found Family, Gen, M/M, Multi, Other, Post-Canon, i just get emotional about found family thank you griffin, more tags to come
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-29
Updated: 2019-11-13
Packaged: 2020-03-26 17:36:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19010584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nonsensicalshakespeare/pseuds/nonsensicalshakespeare
Summary: Probably a good time to explain that these aren't necessarily all concurrent in terms of whats happening. This Big House wont necessarily be involved in every fic, but I’m still making it one work because it’s all the same concept. That said, Magnus being surrounded by everyone he loves and everyone nurturing Angus are *clenches fists* very important to me





	1. Taako

It is an overcast day in Neverwinter. 

But where Taako and Kravitz are, miles away from the bustling steel city, the sun shines brilliantly. Kravitz sits regal and tall while Taako sprawls out haphazardly on their picnic blanket on the hill beneath the massive oak tree they shared their first kiss under. The grass is green, the flowers too picturesque to be called weeds bloom, and the weather in the shade of the tree is warm but breezy. 

“No, no, it’s not like boating at all! It’s just the one plank of wood, but it’s cut very aerodynamically, it’s all science, not really my area of expertise.” Taako is saying. “You stand on it, and you try to catch the waves and go kind of- through them?”

“I see. And on a boat, you avoid the waves.” Kravitz replies. He understands surfing perfectly, but he likes to see Taako get so passionate about these things. He goes on for ages, which Lucretia may mind, but Kravitz can listen to him talk for hours. 

“Now you’re getting it, babe! I’m so glad I can finally explain surfing to you.” Taako grins, and refuses to mention that the reason he couldn’t before was because he had forgotten the words. 

It has been a month since the day that will be known as Story and Song. This is their 22nd official date since. When the world ends, all you want to do is make up for all the time you didn’t lose but could have. It is an unspoken agreement that they need to be close at all times now. Kravitz likes this clingier Taako, who rests with his head on Kravitz’s knee and openly holds his hand and drapes himself on his shoulder. Taako has just decided to start up his school, and Kravitz has hired Barry and Lup, so he can take more time off for days like this. Kravitz doesn’t mind Taako’s friends, but he likes it when it’s just the two of them. Because now he can do what he’s doing now, cupping Taako’s chin in his palm and pressing a gentle kiss to his lips, which leaves them both smiling faintly and tasting of Taako’s lip gloss. 

“I’m glad you remembered you’re a supergenius and can tell me everything about 100 more years of your life.” Kravitz kisses him again. “And you know what?” and again. “I want to be there for 100 more.” and again, “And 100 after that,” and again, “And forever and ever.” 

Taako’s eyes are wide open now. He’s still smiling, so is Kravitz, and then suddenly the words sink over them. 

“Krav?” Taako says gingerly, still smiling. 

“Yeah?”

“I want that too.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Taako takes a breath before rolling over onto his back and sitting up. He leans in, their breath mingles, Kravitz can almost taste Taako’s signature cherry tart recipe on his stunning boyfriend’s tongue—

“Kravitz?”

“Mhm?” If he were standing, his knees would be jelly. 

“Forever?” 

“Mhm.” 

“Cool.”

Kravitz snorts before Taako seals his lips with a kiss. He’d say it was the greatest kiss of all time, but he felt that about almost every kiss. But then the way Taako says “cool” so nonchalantly works its way into his head, and Kravitz starts to giggle and Taako has no choice but to pull away indignantly. 

“What? I’m not as sexy a kisser as always?” he demands

“No, no, of course, I-“ Kravitz regains his composure. “I can’t believe I say forever and you just go ‘cool’”

“I dunno, forever is a long time, if I say it’s a big deal we can’t make out, we have to talk about our feelings!” Taako whines indignantly. “Lup gets forever. I want forever but I’ve never had it before, I dunno what to say!” 

“Hey, hey.” Kravitz catches Taako’s cheek in his palm and smiles. “Don’t worry. Me either. But forever means plenty of time for kissing and feelings.”

Taako flops back onto the blanket. “Ruined the mood.” 

Kravitz rolls his eyes and lies down next to him. He gently runs a hand through Taako’s hair as he speaks. “I don’t know how long I’ve known. But I know now. I want to be with you no matter what. And I don’t really die, and you live like 700 years before dying and everyone who controls death loves you so no guarantees on that front, but trust me. I know how long forever is. And I spent so long alone, you know. Like you. And I’ve known you for a fraction of that time and I know if I’d had you with me the whole time I’ve been working for the Queen? I still wouldn’t be bored of you.” 

Taako rolls his eyes. “You’re a sap.”

“Maybe. But I’m the sap who loves you.” And Kravitz takes Taako’s hand and puts it over where his heart was all those hundreds or thousands or maybe millions of years ago. 

“It’s beating.” Taako says sleepily.

Kravitz had expected it. Ever since he’s been with Taako, he’s felt his cadaver of a corporeal form warm up, literally. Taako leans into him on a cold day and Kravitz acts as a shelter from the wind. Kravitz takes his hand and instead of the brief wince, Taako just smiles and squeezes it. Kravitz remembers a few weeks ago when he blushed. He doesn’t think he’s a real living, breathing, human man again. But maybe after all these years, he finally feels alive. 

So, he says it with complete assurance when he stands up and sweeps Taako to his feet and into his arms and tells him, “It’s because of you.” 

Taako smiles faintly. “I spent 100 years thinking I knew what forever would mean for me. And in that time, I was alone too. I never imagined I’d meet you, or anyone like you. And now that I have, I want forever too. It sounds so fuckin’ cool to spend forever with you.” 

Kravitz lets him go and, naturally, Taako plops down on the blanket. “Siddown. You don’t know all about surfing.” 

Kravitz sits. “Shouldn’t you wait until we can surf to teach me?”

“Nope. You start on your belly and you kinda gotta make a big jump to a crouch, and then up. You’re taller than me, so I’ll probably be better.”

“That’s not fair, you invented it!”

“It’s so fair. Barry can surf.”

“Barry’s like, 5 feet tall.”

“He is not, he’s just an average sized human. You’re a goddamn goliath.”

“I’m 6 feet!” 

“Giant!”

“The better to wrap my arms around you, my dear.”

“Mmm, you’re right. Hey, imagine if a real actual giant did that?”

“What?”

“Like, if some fucked up actually oversized being was being weird about its fucked up proportions. Like, a wolf pretending to be human.”

“I’m a real human!”

“Alright, alright, it was an idea, I’m an artist.” 

“Stick to cooking. Or maybe teaching.” Kravitz falls onto his back and opens his arms invitingly. Taako obliges and curls up in Kravitz’s embrace. 

“Thank you, by the way.” Taako says. He presses a kiss to Kravitz’s cheek. “For this, the dates,” And slowly Taako works his way across Kravitz’ face and down his neck as he speaks, “It’s nice to just be here, with you. It’s the greatest thing I could ask for after saving the world, you know?” 

“I know. I can’t believe I’m exclusive with a real life savior of the universe. You know how many people can say that? Like, me, Barry and Lup, and… um… yeah, that’s my point. It’s incredibly sexy to make out with someone who stopped the apocalypse.” 

“It’s incredibly sexy to make out with me, period.” Taako declares. He’s rolled on top of Kravitz at this point, and the sun is behind his head and sets his mane of hair aglow. When Kravitz opens his mouth to agree, he notices Taako’s glamour shimmer and fade away. Gone are the sharper higher cheekbones, the smaller nose, the perkier ears, the flecks of other colors in his eyes. Kravitz has tried to tell him before that he loves Taako even more like this, because it’s remarkable that he still looks that beautiful. But everytime he tries, Taako casts it again. So Kravitz doesn’t say anything at all. He just admires Taako, the man he loves more than anyone else in the world. 

“Anyway.” Taako says nonchalantly. “You know I speak animal?”

“Can you dirty talk me in animal? Can you swear? Otherwise I’m not interested in this particular exploit.” 

Taako makes a series of unholy grunts, buzzes, and high pitched whines. 

“Yeah, okay, if that was dirty talking it didn’t work.” 

Taako laughs, and it sounds like bells. As long as they’ve been dating, Kravitz has worked as hard as he can to get Taako to laugh as much as possible. 

“Actually, I was saying- oh shit.”

“Oh, just the swearing? What animal-“

“Hey Krav, just had a thought- Live with me.”

“What?”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ve been living with Mags in this massive cabin he built in fuck-all nowhere, it’s perfect, there’s idyllic grass for miles and it always smells like my cooking which is you known heavenly. So just move in there.”

“What, in someone else’s house?”

Taako tuts and waves his hand. “It’s not your house if you let me live in it. I live large. He won’t turn you away, come on, whaddya say? Leave the stuffy ol’ stockade.”

“I don’t live in the eternal-“

“You wake up every morning and bam, there I am, all warm and cozy and elegantly beautiful after a full 8 hours. Come downstairs and boom, pancakes. Come home after a long day of death policing and kablam, hot boyfriend back from a day of teaching who wants nothing more than to snuggle up and bam, wake up all warm and cozy in the morning.”

“I dunno-“ Kravitz feigns a yawn. “Sounds boring.”

“With me?”

“With you?”

“Never” They say in unison. Taako snorts. “So that’s a yes,” He adds, and Kravitz nods wordlessly, a gentle smile playing on his lips as he imagines Taako being the first and last thing he sees every day, prettier than any sunrise or sunset. 

They kiss, lying side by side on the picnic blanket, and between their lips is a promise. They promise each other forever exactly how Taako describes it, and it smells faintly of pancakes.


	2. Magnus

Technically, the house belonged to Magnus. In practice, this was not the case. It was a two story building Magnus had constructed himself. Originally, he made it so he’d live with Abgus and his dogs, with a lot of guest rooms when the rest of the starblaster crew came through town. Every guest room was now occupied indefinitely, including the study, the library, and the basement. 

Taako rolled around the most. He toured Faerun often, and always accompanying him was his rather suave (rather scary) boyfriend, you know, Death. Taako happened to be staying with Magnus when Kravitz begged him to live somewhere, a real house, Taako, where rain doesn’t ruin the canvas roof of your wagon. So now Taako and Kravitz had taken up permanent residence in the guest room. Room for all, Magnus said with a big grin. Welcome to the Burnsides household. Hope you’re not allergic to dogs!

Next came Lucretia, who Magnus insisted stay with him on the ground, rather than miles above. She could operate the Bureau just fine without being on the moon base, and besides, maybe she could hire N0-3113 or Avi or even Brad to be a sort of regional manager up there. Lucretia obliged, and settled into the small library and filled the recently finished shelves with books. Magnus had to make more shelves for all she wrote and collected, and soon it was wall-to-wall dusty leather bound books with cracked spines. Lucretia loved it. 

Carey and Killian weren’t far behind. Once they were married, Magnus gave them the shed out back as more appropriate lodgings for his best friend and her wife. They had a kitchenette there, a bathroom, the whole shebang, but they still went hand in hand to family dinners. 

After Davenport decided to stay there when he dropped into town, Magnus built a loft bed in the study. When Merle moved in, he made a larger dining room table. When Barry and Lup moved in, everyone had to clear aside some of their belongings to make room for equipment. 

Barry and Lup, being the last to move in, had been given the basement. It used to be Magnus’ workshop when he gave Carey and Killian the cottage, but he moved his work to his newly opened shop downtown in Neverwinter and the couple turned the extra space into a lab for… whatever research or experimentation you need to do as a necromancer policeman. 

Angus had lived in the house since the moment it had been built. He had his own room, overlooking the garden out back tended by Barry, Taako, and Carey. When the house was more empty, just the two of them, Magnus and Angus used to quietly sit in the living room, Magnus whittling away at a new project, Angus delightedly reading mystery books. 

A year and a half after its construction, the place was filled to the brim. Magnus has decided he likes the bustle of a full home of all his friends and family. What he doesn’t like is waking up to a high pitched shriek at 6 AM. 

“GET OUT OF THE SINK!” Taako screams, and then there’s a pained yelp and Magnus leaps  
out of bed and thunders down the stairs. The scene in the kitchen is a sight to behold- Taako, wielding a rubber spatula, chasing Merle out of the kitchen and through the living room. “MOTHERFUCKER!” Taako screams again, and Magnus catches him by the shoulders and stops the struggling elf in his tracks. It results in several whaps to the bicep with the spatula, but it isn’t painful at all. 

“Alright, Taako, chill out.”

“I used MY FUNDS to upgrade YOUR KITCHEN and put in an INDUSTRIAL SIZED SINK so I can make everyone in this house THREE SQUARE MEALS A DAY, and I get repaid with a HUNGOVER DWARF in my SINK? A GODDAMN GREMLIN?” 

“Ooo, aaah, oooh, my head.” Merle groans dramatically, despite knowing that everyone in the house knows he’s a dwarf and thus experiences little drunkenness and hangovers. 

“Don’t pull that shit with me, you can haul your tiny ass to your room, why were you in my SINK?” 

“Taako.” Magnus says sharply. He tries not to be tough on them, but at this hour, it’s ridiculous. “You’re fucking 300 or something-“

“230-“

“Bullshit, you are not in preschool, but we do not hit people with spatulas.” 

Merle snorts from the sofa. “Taako, tell Merle how to clean the sink.” Magnus adds. “And, while you’re at it,” he pauses for dramatic effect, “tell him how to shower.” 

There’s a long pause. And then Magnus laughs, and then Merle laughs, and then Taako laughs.

“Right, right, good morning.” Magnus grins. 

Taako returns to the kitchen and begins banging around cupboards. A few minutes later Kravitz comes downstairs and keeps him company perched up on the counter. That cannot be comfortable, Magnus thinks, but who is he to argue? He’s glad Kravitz is warming up to the family, anyway. He’s the most put together person who lives there, and no one really got familiar with him until recently. Magnus overhears them chatting in the kitchen as he digs around for leftovers to bring with him to the shop for lunch. 

“I just can’t do it. It’s not morally right, Kravitz.” 

“White lies, Taako, you don’t get to take a moral stance on lying.” 

“Hey-“ Taako says, and taps Kravitz’s nose with a spoon, getting pancake batter on his face. “I lie for personal benefit and eventual benefit of others.” 

“She’s basically my mom, Taako, you want to impress the parents, don’t you? I don’t know how much of what you teach isn’t… you know, legal. By her standards.”

“You want me to not tell her I run a fuckin’ magic school? Hi, I’m boring boyfriend Taako, I teach sixth graders literature, uhhhh, fuck no babe!” 

“Fine, fine.” Kravitz kisses Taako slowly, who sets his tools down on the counter and briefly abandons his cooking to better french the man of his dreams. “I’ll love you, even if the Actual Goddess the Raven Queen doesn’t.”

“I’ll say I teach. But if she asks questions-“

“Just add the blueberries, darling.”

Soon the kitchen bustles and buzzes with noise. Pancakes are sizzling on the stove, and Taako yells at anyone who gets too close. Lup keeps trying to squeeze her way in between Taako and Kravitz to help with the recipe- “Add butter as soon as you take them off!” “Don’t wait so long to flip them!” most of which Taako ignores. 

Carey and Killian stand in the doorway giggling, interlocking their fingers and kissing and tapping each other’s noses in a completely disgusting couples-in-the-halls-at-a-high-school-way. It’s especially frustrating because no one except Merle- and Davenport if he were here- can get into the kitchen past Killian’s muscles. 

Magnus shoves his way through them and trudges back upstairs to the library. He knocks quietly, to no answer. He knocks again, louder, still nothing. So he turns the knob and tiptoes inside. 

His guess is right. Lucretia is collapsed over her desk, snoring into her notebook. Her pen has rolled off the desk onto the floor. Magnus sighs. She still writes like she only has a year to capture a whole world on paper. 

Magnus shakes her awake and she mumbles a quick “hmm?” before suddenly jerking upright. Her silver rings have made slight indents in her cheek. “Magnus? Oh, what time is it?”

“About 8, Luce. When did you go to sleep?”

“Oh, ah… 3? Maybe?” she laughs, sighs, and shakes her head. “I’m sorry. I know I-“ 

“It’s okay.” He sighs, and pats her shoulder. “Don’t regret writing. I know you can handle yourself alright, just watch out. And I’m watching out for you too. You wanna come down to breakfast?” 

She looks at him with her eyes almost watering. “Sure.” 

Before Magnus remembered, he thought Lucretia was so much older than him. Everyone forgot that she had been younger when they first met. Magnus missed his little sister, Lucretia missed her big brother, so when he finally got his memories back, their dynamic went back to how it had always been. Not everyone gave Lucretia that. Merle, Lup, Magnus, sure. She would take what she got. Being here in this house still felt like having her family back, whether everyone in it totally forgave her or not. 

Magnus goes back downstairs and finds Barry, Lup, and Kravitz gathered around the couch. 

“She’s gonna be a more sensitive case. The people she’s been reviving are old friends, family members, a girlfriend too, if my research is right. We need to keep her calm.” Kravitz is saying.

Barry and Lup nod. “So when should we go?” Lup asks.

“The sooner the better,” Barry offers and stands up, but Magnus puts a hand on his shoulder. 

“Taako made pancakes. If you dip, he’ll never forgive you.” Magnus insists. Lup snorts and rolls her eyes, but nods in agreement at Barry. 

“I don’t know how you even have the time to date him.” Lup sighs at Kravitz. 

“Eh, he’s worth is.” Kravitz says dreamily, to which Lup makes siren noises. 

“Gross sappy nerd alert!” She declares. “Tone it down! That’s my brother!” 

“I have to work with you and Barry!” Kravitz protests. He has a point. Lup has already resumed her spot with her arm around Barry, leaning her head on his shoulder. 

Magnus rolls his eyes and returns to the kitchen. 

“Maggie, is that you? Oh god, someone sane.” Taako calls. “Merle’s been in and out of here, Carey and Killian just keep canoodling, will you set the table?” 

“No problem.” 

He overhears Sweet Flip’s conversation as he does so. God, he let too many happy couples into this house. But he doesn’t mind. He knows if any of these people had to be around him and Julia, they’d find it insufferable. 

“So, about you shooting that Beholder with a crossbow-“ Carey starts

“Yeah?” Killian raises her eyebrows.

“I’ve never seen anything so cool, babe.”

“Babe, you said that about when I punched that slime. And when I shot that scary robot bird. And-“

“Killian, you’re the coolest person in the world. That’s why I married you, dumb butt.”

“So what’s the coolest thing I’ve ever done?”

Carey sighs. “I dunno. It’s always kinda hot to watch you fight-“

Magnus tunes out at this point. His family is kind of the worst sometimes. 

Still, he thinks as they slowly begin to trickle in and sit around the crowded wooden table, he’s glad he has them. There were so many times he could have lost someone, so many times he did, so many chances he could have missed. But he has them here. From the starblaster crew he’s known for over a century, to Carey, who he’s only known for two years. He thinks back to him and Julia, and he hopes when he sees her again, he can tell her all about what she married into all those years ago. He hopes she gets to meet Angus, who is still asleep upstairs in Magnus’ room, because he can’t bear to wake him up. He hopes she gets to one day meet Taako and Lup, who she’ll think are the coolest. He hopes she’ll get to meet Lucretia and read some of her work. And even without Julia, Magnus has found his happy ending with the people he loves. 

Julia is past, his friends are present, he hopes they all carry on into his future. But there is one thing about Magnus’ future that feels certain. 

The little boy asleep upstairs feels like the closest thing Magnus has got to a physical manifestation of the future. The kid’s going to go on and do amazing things, and Magnus hopes after all these years, Angus sort of understands the pride Magnus feels when he watches him pull off a new spell or ramble on about a book he’s reading. 

When Magnus looks at Angus, this little now thirteen year old who decidedly looks nothing like him, and was raised in a totally different place, by totally different people, he sees a son. He didn’t recognize the feeling at first, of course, because at first when Angus started coming to Magnus’ room after nightmares and Magnus opened his arms for the small, awkward form to wiggle into, he thought he felt some kind of awkward mentorship. He felt this unplaceable rush in his chest of something warm, and maybe a little bit of pride. He didn’t recognize any of that until a little while ago, when a very tired Angus’ tongue slipped after hours of homework from Taako’s school, and Magnus picked him up from the dining room table and took him upstairs to bed, and Angus mumbled, “G’night, Dad.” and Magnus felt like he was going to cry. 

Sunlight was streaming through the windows now, and in an hour Carey and Magnus would start running around getting everyone prepped for a spontaneous picnic, but right now one member of the household was still fast asleep upstairs, and he had a blueberry pancake waiting in the kitchen. 

Angus’ room is decorated with dark blue wallpaper covered in yellow and white stars, colorful planets, and posters. Lucretia painted the place when she first moved in and saw Angus’ dreadfully bare room. The two of them worked in a lot of bonding time with her maneuvering around as he read books she lent him and they talked about literature both from Faerun and her homeworld. Because of this, Magnus built a bookshelf into Angus’ very neat desk, so they’d always be right there for him. This one has his Caleb Cleveland novels, this one has spell books and textbooks and cookbooks for school, this one has science fiction novels from the birds’ homeworld, and on the very top, held in place by a wooden duck, a few of Angus’ favorites from Lucretia’s journals. 

On the ceiling is an array of little lights that look like their own stars. His closet is cracked open to reveal the shelf of board games he keeps under his shirts. Snoring in a heavily pillowed bed with a ridiculously downy, thick comforter, is Angus, contentedly sleeping off yesterday’s late night. Magnus found Angus, Taako, Lup, Lucretia, and Kravitz having a drawn out argument about the best plot twist in any book ever. That was at 11 PM. 

“Angus.” Magnus whispers. “Aaaangus. Ango. Django. Wake up.”

No response. 

Magnus steps forward and sits down on the edge of the bed. There’s that rush of pride and happiness again, a feeling that Magnus can now recognize. He really wishes Jules could have met him. Sometimes, Magnus even thinks he looks a little like her, with the curly hair and eyes the same shade of brown. 

Gently, he rests a hand on Angus’ shoulder and shakes him awake. Sometimes it feels like he’s so small and fragile, he’ll break in Magnus’ callused paw of a hand. But he doesn’t, because if woodwork has taught him anything, it’s how to be gentle. 

Angus blinks awake blearily and looks up at Magnus. A little smile spreads across his face, so faint you could miss it. Magnus is just happy he likes it here, and that joy never fades from Angus’ face and never gets old for Magnus. 

“Morning, kiddo.” He grins

“G’morning.” Angus mumbles blearily, and Magnus is suddenly hit with the thought that he’ll be a teenager any day now, which is the most terrifying thought he’s ever had, but at the same time, he doubts he’ll love him any less. Angus has always been a good kid, and doesn’t mind doing work for Taako’s school, or helping Barry in the garden. Every once in a while, even though Magnus knows it’s not his thing, Angus will come to Magnus’ shop after school and sit with him, taking in all the information he can as Magnus works. He has so much room in his heart for loving every single person he crosses paths with, he’d be hard pressed to become suddenly moody all the time. 

Everyone is happy to step up for Angus too. Taako’s never been the family type- he’s not as easily selfless, a fact he’s willing to admit, and he doesn’t like kids, and nuclear families have never been for him, as evidenced by his decision not to marry Kravitz and instead, have several cats wandering around the Burnsides house while he and his boyfriend do whatever they want whenever they want to. But when Magnus needs to leave town or work late, Taako’s always first to step up for bedtime stories. Magnus catches him regularly teaching Angus the wide variety of cooking secrets he knows, things he won’t even tell Kravitz. 

Merle is even doing good, and considering all he’s had to work through with his actual kids, Magnus watches him interact with Angus with some swell of pride. He was hesitant to come around to the kid- “What do we need another pipsqueak for-“ But now he lets Angus weave plants into his beard, agrees to switch glasses with him when he asks to look “cool metal punk,” and sits on the couch with his eyes closed as Angus, Maevis, and Mookie run around the living room on some new make believe trip, and Merle knows this is exactly where he wants to be and where he’s supposed to be. 

Lucretia and Angus happily talk into the night about books and literature. They give each other recommendations, and sip tea over their respective detective novels. Angus likes to feel like Lucretia respects him, which teatime proves, and Angus looks up to her as some kind of goddess of infinite knowledge, which makes Lucretia laugh, but warms her to her core. 

Lup teaches Angus how to socially navigate everyone in the house and how to walk with confidence, so no one can mess with him. Barry teaches Angus about the inner workings of the world, which fascinates him and leads them both on hours long experiments and analyses. Killian gives him crossbow pointers, Carey would teach him knife throwing if Magnus didn’t give her a stern glare, so instead she tells him all the embarassing BoB stories about everyone. When Davenport is in town, he regales Angus with stories of the high seas, painting himself as a mysterious pirate instead of a nerd on a boat. Angus was probably the most well rounded 13 year old in the universe, and his family surrounded him with their love and support and babysitting. 

“There’s a blueberry pancake downstairs with your name on it. Come on.” Magnus gestured to the door and went downstairs, expecting Angus to follow. 

The traffic cleared out after breakfast. Barry, Lup, and Kravitz left to apprehend another necromancer, promising to be back by 1 O’Clock for the picnic. Taako went upstairs to feed the cats. Carey, Killian, and Lucretia were squeezing around the desk in the study to say hello the everyone on the moon base. 

Angus patters downstairs and into the kitchen, and Magnus hands him his plate. Angus sits down at the counter while Magnus does the dishes. 

“Mag- um- Dad?” Angus asks.

“Yeah?” 

“I’ve got a mystery I haven’t solved for three years. I think you could help me out with it.”

“I’ll do my best, but you’re the genius. Three years is quite a while for you. What’s the mystery?”

“Your wedding ring?” Angus asks gingerly. 

Magnus smiles. “Ohh. What do you wanna know?”

“Everything, if that’s alright, whatever you want to tell me.” 

“Her name was Julia.” Magnus begins softly, the smile on his face combatting the tears that want to flow. These aren’t sad memories, though. “She would have loved you. She thought resourcefulness was the most important thing. Anyway. I thought she was amazing. And she fell for me, and I was a real idiot at the time. It was a miracle she saw what she did in me, and she made me the best version of myself. And she was wonderful. I really hope you get to meet her someday, Ango.” Magnus says, and his heart aches with how much he means it. He wants everyone to meet Julia. He wants everyone to see her and be there to tell him it was real when he finally saw her again. But Angus in particular she would have loved him to bits. With Julia around, they’d add bodybuilding and wilderness survival to his list of skills, and she would be honored to learn what she could from him too. She had been warm and accepting that way. “She’s- um-“ Magnus rubs his eyes, and finds himself tearing up. It feels like there is more to her story, something on the tip of Magnus’ tongue he’s forgetting. But as long as he remembers her, it couldn’t be so bad. “She’s always positive. And Kind. And she’s never far away- that’s why the ring is still on. I never had to move on from her, not just ‘cause I didn’t want to- she’s here for me. Reminding me to do what’s right. Like how I try to teach you. Does that solve your case?”

Angus nods, and wraps his short arms around Magnus. “I’d like to meet her.” Angus smiles. Magnus rolls his eyes and hoists Angus up off the ground and squeezes him in a tight bear hug. It always took people a while to get accustomed to Magnus hugs, but you really didn’t get a choice in the matter. Magnus was a hugger and there was nothing anyone could do about it. 

“Alright. Growing boys need blueberry pancakes.” Magnus insists. “We’re gonna have lunch in the garden, so if you wanna stick around and help Taako and Lup prep, feel free.” 

Angus devours the rest of his breakfast, and soon enough the kitchen fills with life again. Taako, Lup, and Angus bustling around, tripping over Merle and trying to have multiple conversations with everyone coming in and out. Barry and Kravitz at the counter, chatting about music theory, Carey and Magnus talking animatedly about recent developments in their favorite wrestling series, Lucretia with her eyes closed and her nose over a cup of mint tea, a smile playing on her lips. Later, she will write down how the cara cara orange and walnut salad tastes and how the garden smells and how their family sounds, but now she lets herself enjoy the idyllic, albeit chaotic scene. Magnus catches her eye from across the room and they smile knowingly at each other, because they’ve just had the same thought- That everything and everyone in this house feels like home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Probably a good time to explain that these aren't necessarily all concurrent in terms of whats happening. This Big House wont necessarily be involved in every fic, but I’m still making it one work because it’s all the same concept. That said, Magnus being surrounded by everyone he loves and everyone nurturing Angus are *clenches fists* very important to me


	3. Merle

The air is chilly this time of year, when the sea winds blow inland and whip towards the mountains. Merle has learned not to mind after all the time he’s spent visiting the coastside- it’s easier for Hecuba to drop the kids off when Merle meets her halfway. Usually, they spend a day or two in Rockport, wandering the museums or just catching up in whatever room Merle’s got for the night. Then, they take the train back to Neverwinter, and Magnus or Killian or someone free who can drive a wagon picks them up at the station. 

They’re taking an overnight train this time around, and Mavis is painting something on an impossibly small canvas, and insisted on opening a window, so the car is freezing, which Mookie loudly protests and Merle silently suffers through. Eventually, he figures he can get Mookie to calm down by wrapping the two of them up in both their blankets and starting to tell a story. 

It’s another one about him, Taako, and Magnus. When Taako tells these kinds of stories, he likes to talk about how noble and brave he was, even when he wasn’t. Magnus likes to go into incredible detail about his (very real) feats of strength throughout their journey. Merle’s not a storyteller, but he does what he can to give Mookie the full shebang. And he doesn’t tell tall tales. Mookie’s a little young to know exactly how much of a douche Merle is, but Merle doesn’t want to lie to the kid. So he tells everything exactly how it happened.

Mookie’s giggling at Merle and Magnus fighting a massive cockroach in Lucas’s tiny city when the window slides shut and the rumbling of the train quiets. Merle notices, but doesn’t stop the story. The movement on the bunk above has gotten less frequent, and he thinks Mavis might be listening. She is old enough to know what a douche Merle is, so sometimes, she’s not ready to act like she wants this family to work. She does, they all do, but it still gives Merle this sharp pang in his chest, thinking about why she won’t let herself feel like she’s home again. 

“Well, when Magnus finished kicking it’s- erm- butt, we kept moving. Now, Mookie, your dad’s not the brightest bulb in the bunch. We ended up in this room with a kinda- a quizzing robot. Magnus and Taako, they weren’t real sharp either, in most of the categories they gave us. Solve convoluted riddles, spell weird bird human names-“ 

“A-A-R-A-K-O-C-R-A” Mavis mutters from the top bunk. Merle laughs. 

“Maybe your sister would have done a better job than us. Magnus started hittin’ the darn thing with his ax, and the rest’s as you expect it.” 

Mookie yawns loudly, then looks up at Merle. “D’ya think Magnus still has his ax, Dad? Can I touch it? Can-“ 

“Gross. That thing’s cut up all kinda of splashy gooey stuff.” Mavis comments. 

Merle hesitates. Mavis “hasn’t listened” to most of Merle’s stories. He could point it out to her and ask. 

She needs her own time, he decides. 

“You’ll have to ask him. But I bet the handle’s fair game.” Merle suggests, and ruffles Mookie’s already messy hair. “Get some sleep, kiddo. We’re gonna visit everyone tomorrow. Big day.” 

Mookie nods resolutely, but doesn’t move. He leans into Merle a little and closes his eyes. 

Merle doesn’t really know what to do with this. Sometimes, it feels like he’s babysitting his own kids because they seem so far away. But Mookie is right here, happily getting ready to nod off in Merle’s arms, like any dang normal kid would with their dad. It almost makes him wanna cry. But more than that, it makes him feel better. Merle didn’t even know he was feeling down. Maybe this kind of down had been going on so long he didn’t even notice. But now, he feels just a bit better, like a little bit of the sickness has been cured. He wraps his arms around Mookie. 

After a while- He must have dozed off a little- he hears Mavis climbing down and moving towards the door- probably going to the bathroom. She comes back a few minutes later, sure enough, and spots Merle’s eyes in the dark. 

“Hey Dad.” She mumbles. “Just heading back to bed.” 

“Have you been sleeping?” Merle asks. Mavis sighs and shakes her head. 

“Um. No. I’ve been thinking, actually. A lot. Just…” she sighs. “I wanted to be around for this stuff. Not, like, there, but… caught up? Why…” she sighs again. “You skipped out and ended up on all these cool adventures and stuff. It’s not fair. I was just getting used to you. I wanted you home and you were having too much fun to care.” 

Merle untangles himself from Mookie’s (very strong) grasp and sits up. He takes a deep breath. 

“Sweetheart,” he begins, quietly, so he won’t wake Mookie. “I wasn’t having fun. It was dangerous. And the whole way through, I thought I was saving up to come home. Not to your mom, just you and Mookie. I really, really wanted to be your dad again. But I didn’t think I was ready. I was the same asshole-“ That makes Mavis let out a little snort of laughter, as all kids do at adults swearing- “That I was when I left.” 

“But- I just- you know. I was getting used to it. I even- I dunno. You were a good dad, okay? I don’t get it.” 

Merle’s struggling to find words to express what he wants to say, the pride he wants to explain, the joy he feels when she says “dad” and “you” in the same sentence. 

“Kiddo, you were never the problem. I needed time. Your mom-“

“That’s dumb. If you needed time, there were other ways to find it. If you hated mom so much-“

“Mavis, I didn’t-“

“You should have talked to her, or us, I just…” Mavis folds her arms. She does look like Hecuba, but Merle recognizes that look in her eyes from a lot of his friends. “It wasn’t fair!” She says, as quietly as she can with as much emphasis as possible. 

“No.” Merle deflates. “It wasn’t. I’m sorry.” 

Mavis looks up at him, expecting more. He doesn’t have it. Apologies are best ended exactly like that- apologies. No If’s And’s or But’s. 

“I forgive you. Only ‘cause you’re here now, and Mookie likes things normal.” 

Merle opens his arms, and Mavis smiles a little and climbs up into bed on the other side of him. Merle has his arms around both of his kids, a privilege he didn’t think he’d ever get again. It’s not so cold in the sleeper car anymore, but dwarves are a bit clingy when it comes to family, and this is what Merle’s got right now, and it’s plenty family for him. 

When the train arrives in Neverwinter the next morning, Magnus is waiting in a wagon at the station, with Taako, Kravitz, and Angus in the back. Merle, Mavis, and Mookie pile in, and Mavis and Angus strike up a conversation about a supposed revamping to an old detective series, with Mookie intermittently making comments he believes are related to what they’re saying, but aren’t really. 

Magnus greets him with a signature suffocating hug, then lets him clamor into the back. Taako says “‘Sup little man, that arm looks oiled as shit,” which is meaningless, and, in Weird Taako Phrase lingo, just means Merle is looking good and cleaned up, because sometimes, he looks a little like a gremlin. Merle replies by saying “Yeah, better wood than crystal,” which makes Kravitz look a little sheepish. Merle’s not trying to make him uncomfortable, really, he thinks he’s a great guy, but Kravitz was busy canoodling with Taako while Merle was doing all the moving on from pissed to making jokes about it, and thinks the switch never happened. Honestly, Merle likes the magical tree arm anyway. 

Merle is technically third wheeling. Or fourth wheeling. He’s not a part of the kid’s conversation, and he certainly doesn’t want to be a part of whatever Taako is mumbling to Kravitz with that look on his face. Merle takes a shaky few steps, and settles himself next to Magnus at the front of the rattling wagon.

“No luck getting a warm welcome back there?” Magnus asks.

“I didn’t like the tone Taako was using to say “make dinner.” Why’d they tag along?”

Magnus shrugs. “Taako asked to come. I think he wanted to come see you, really. We all kind of miss your energy when you’re coming back and forth. Kravitz just came with because he respects you and is inseparable from his boyfriend.” 

“Slow down. My energy? What am I bringing to the table that the boisterous Magnus and the charismatic Taako don’t?” 

Magnus itches the back of his neck. “Kind of- hmm. Comforting? Dad energy.” 

Merle almost chokes “I- really? Jeez Magnus, you’ve seen me seduce plants and everything- does your real dad do that?” 

“Definitely not. But that aside, you’re… some kind of dad. You’re as real as my “real” dad, right? You just- people meet you and can't really help but know you’re looking out for them. You’ve sure saved my ass a million times.” 

“I’m a cleric!”

“You’re a shitty cleric. But you’re not a bad dad.” 

Merle throws a look over his shoulder at everyone sitting in the back. “You think so?” He asks with a wry smile. “Man. That’s sayin’ a lot. I haven’t been the greatest parent a lot of the time.” 

“Hmm.” Magnus mutters. “But you are now. It’s learned, right?” Magnus nods his head back at Angus. “I’m learning. There’s a lotta ways to fuck up.”

Merle laughs bitterly. “Sure are. I cover quite a few of those bases.”

“But you bounce back. If you can support someone through their shittiest hour- that’s parental. You build a family on that.” 

Merle smiles. “You’re not the worst family to get stuck with. Even if you call me your dad and then try to give me sage advice on parenting.” 

“I was looking for confirmation.”

“Ah. Confirmed.” 

“How’s it going with your actual kids, then?” 

Merle smiles to himself. “You know what Magnus? Not bad. It’s not bad.” 

“I bet. Saving the universe makes you an instant kid charmer.” 

“Nah, nah, not like that. Stuff got kinda complicated. But they’re bein’ my kids again. I’m bein’ their dad. Don’t think anyone saw it coming. ‘Cept six good friends of mine.”

Magnus elbows him, and it feels like being hit by a truck. “Well duh.” 

“Speaking of, Mookie’s been askin’ about your ax. I don’t suppose you could show him later?”

“Be glad to, so long as he knows to stay away from the sharp edges.”

“Well, since you’d be the adult, it’d kinda be up to you to keep him safe.” Merle says, only being a little condescending. 

“Is that sage dad advice?” Magnus asks, and Merle just laughs. “Well, of course I can give him the Railsplitter Experience. Don’t sweat it.” 

The rest of the ride goes in silence, but Merle doesn’t mind. He’s never been a huge talker. In however many hundred years he’s been alive (physically aging or not), he’s never relied on stimulating conversation. Maybe that’s why people seem to find his presence some small comfort- there is solace in silence with another person, and Merle is all about just being with someone, not worrying about what to say or do, just letting yourself sit in their presence until you feel safe. Lucretia will tell you that Merle’s silence made her feel like she might find a home again after everything she’d done, because Merle was still willing to drink chamomile tea with her and not say a word about it. Lup will tell you how alone she felt without a body, even when she was among friends, until she and Merle sat outside and watched a sunset, and there was no need to talk or touch, she just felt like everything could be normal. Even John- that is his name, it is the only thing left of him, and it is up to Merle to make sure t is remembered- would have told you, if he could have, how he finally felt sane playing elaborate games of chess with Merle. That feeling is everything Merle has strived to give people- just a little bit of the happiness he finds every day, just some of the hope he keeps, just some of the joy he chooses. And he gets it back, and now, with all his friends and family surrounding him, Merle has almost more joy than he knows what to do with. Because of him, the people he knows, every goddamn plane in existence- is just a little happier. And knowing that is all he needs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been a while since I put out one of these bad boys! I went through a little period of writing self consciousness but the final horny boy is here, the rest of the birds will follow :)
> 
> (I originally had these as separate works, but decided to combine them into one. To all the lovely folks who left kudos and comments on the last one, youre not crazy and I so appreciate it! I just had to delete it for my own perfectionism)


	4. Barry

These days, when Barry wakes up, he keeps his eyes closed for a long time, letting himself sit in stasis between awake and asleep. Here every sense is realer and every thought is quieter. There is warmth on his face, and when he opens his eyes, he will realize it is the sunlight through the window. There is a weight on his chest, and when he turns his head he will see it is Lup’s hand. But here, in this suspended state, everything is more perfect than when he opens his eyes. Here, the world is made up of the rawest forms of the emotions it can contain- and most mornings it feels like nothing but love, stronger than he has ever known it.

But time moves on. Barry opens his eyes. He is greeted with the sight of his wife, her hair splayed across the pillows, eyes closed, smiling at something he can’t possibly understand, and with no effort at all, she is the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen. He’s seen a hundred worlds, worlds that glowed, worlds with stars shining every hour of the day, worlds where the sky’s colors rolled from pink to purple to blue to pink again, worlds full of nature and plant life, worlds with swooping cliffs over cascading valleys, worlds with bright little houses and old castles, and none of them are as beautiful as Lup. She takes his breath away every time he looks at her, even with his vision blurred without his glasses. 

Barry reaches over to the bedside table and puts them on, and the world is suddenly clear. He gently runs a hand through Lup’s hair, trying not to wake her. She wakes up, of course, she sleeps like a cat, but she doesn’t mind. She doesn’t even open her eyes. All she does is grab Barry’s hand and press it to her lips, softly, and it makes his heart melt. After centuries, everything Lup does makes his heart melt. Sometimes he still finds himself in awe that they can even be here- after a decade apart, after a hundred years of running away- they’ve finally found a home. And they’re together. 

“Good morning.” Barry says hoarsely. 

“Morning.” Lup replies, and her voice is like a song. 

“Sleep well?” 

“With you, doofus? Of course.” 

This is their morning routine. Barry doesn’t get his chance to talk about how safe Lup makes him feel too, how her hands on his warm him inside and out, how sweet his dreams are when the last thing he sees before he drifts off is her face. But she knows. And he knows that what she means by “Of course,” is that he holds her in a way that assures her he will always be there when she wakes, reminds her that he will never let her go again, promises her that as long as she wants to she will belong with him, and she will fit neatly into his soft arms. And she wants to be with Barry forever. She always has. And Barry, the lover, someone so full of that pure and perfect thing, wants the same. 

Barry cups her chin and kisses her, and she puts her hands on his cheeks, and they steady each other as the world continues to move around them as they let time slow down just for a moment, just for this kiss. 

Eventually, Lup rises to make breakfast. Barry lets himself bask in the sunlight in the window a moment longer before he joins her downstairs. He used to try and help with the cooking, the first year or two on the starblaster, and then the first few months after the day of Story and Song. Lup was insistent. He would ruin her equipment, he would ruin the food, the world would explode, everyone would be dead, and it would be from Barry’s failure to make a waffle as well as she could. He just did the dishes as she discarded them in the sink now. 

Lup catches him staring at her as she pours batter. She feigns inquisitiveness, then smiles. “Watcha lookin at?”

Every time she asked a question like that, the answer was a little different. Sometimes, it was how the colors of the sunset made her face glow. Sometimes it was her freckles becoming visible in the light, and he wanted nothing more than to count them with kisses. Sometimes it was how the sunshine glowed on her cheekbones. Sometimes it was the moon bathing her features in silver. These images of Lup stuck in Barry's brain, picturesque portraits in the hallways of his mind. But Lup didn’t need reminding she was beautiful, and besides, the way she looked wasn’t the most beautiful thing about her. It was the way she smiled with confidence Barry had always admired. It was how her tongue poked out when she cooked, showing concentration and mastery of a simple task Barry had never really perfected. It was the way she laughed, like the whole world wasn’t full of all the evil it had

“Nothing.” He says lightly. “Smells wonderful.” 

Lup lays her head on his shoulder while she waits for the omelette to cook. 

“Taako’s coming over later to raid my closet, but he says he’s here for tea.” She says. “I think he’s bringing Kravitz. If no one else, you two will eat the food while we do that, right?” 

“Sure. You don’t have to ask twice as long as you’re cooking.” He says. He’s thinking about how happy he is that she’s real, and her hair is tickling his shoulder a little bit. When Lup was still incorporeal, everything was different. Conversations went late. They slept in often, turned away from each other. Often one of them would cry, wishing they could have been there while the other spent a decade alone. Touch has always been their language of love, from the way Lup found home in Barry’s strong and soft arms on a cycle without Taako, how so much as a finger ghosting on his arm would make his heart leap into his throat. How Lup’s hand in his seemed like a conduit to imbue him with the confidence he so admired in her, how Lup began to recognize the feel of stubble under her fingers as a language spelling out all the ways she was loved. 

And maybe it was a matter of time. Maybe by the time Lup had settled into her body once and for all, the blame game was done being played. Maybe Lup had done enough with her words to prove to Barry that her disappearance was never his fault, and her loneliness was no indication of a flaw. Maybe Barry had promised her he’d never let her go again enough times to make her believe it. Maybe Lup was sick of telling herself if she had just taken her time, if she had just let someone help her, it never would have ended up the way it did. Maybe the late nights had done their good, even if it had felt like every word they had to say to each other pushed and pulled them away from each other in an awful orbit. 

But there was something about how easily Lup leaned into Barry after so many years that reminded him she would never hold it against him. The warmth of her hand on his face, his chest, his hip, his shoulder, it told him he had done everything he needed to. The way Barry kissed her, the way his hands gripped hers when they went to sleep, the way his arms wrapped around her when they cuddled, it was better than a promise, it was proof he would never leave her alone. And their togetherness in night and day, their friends around them, they knew they would never have to spend all that time alone again. 

Lup frowns at him a little. “You look distracted.” 

“Hm? Oh. No, just thinking. Have I told you I love you this morning?”

Lup shrugs. Barry knows the answer. He figures he says it so much and she says it back, and vice versa, that it hardly matters who remembers. 

Barry wraps his arms around Lup’s hips and lifts her up, giving her a gentle spin around the kitchen while she laughs. When he slows, he says, ever so quietly, words only for her to hear, while the rest of the world averts its ears- “I love you, Lup.” and he still says her name with reverence, with disbelief he deserves to have it on his tongue, with the same awestruck, out of his league love he’s always had for her. He savors the single syllable like he does every dish she cooks, and his smile tells her it will always taste sweet. 

And Lup braces herself on his shoulders and leans the short way down to kiss him gently, in that way that still makes his knees turn to jelly, and she whispers, “I love you, Barry.” and she says his name like a prayer, with a kind of desperation, clinging to the hope that it will be answered with nothing but his love. By now she knows how lucky she is to be loved by someone with so much to give, and when she says his name, she is begging for more of it, and she lets herself forget to ask if she deserves it. 

The pancakes on the stove sizzle loudly, as if to demand they be attended to. Barry sets Lup down and watches as she flips them, an art he never quite mastered. He goes to set out plates and utensils for them, a gesture not usually done for any old breakfast, but something Barry likes to do when he’s in a good mood. Or in a mood. He’s always tried to be helpful. And anyway, it was his job back on the starblaster, their first home, and after weaving in and out of consciousness and corporealness, it’s something that feels real, in the same way Lup grounds him and he grounds her. 

Meals are always a quiet affair when one of the twins cooks, because everyone eating is so busy shoveling their face with whatever absolutely excellent dish that’s set before them that there is no time to talk. There is just the clink of knives against plates, the rustle of napkins, the sighs of comfort induced by fucking amazing food. 

Barry and Lup’s dining table is wooden and small, and it’s a Magnus Burnsides original. It’s made so they can sit close together, but it folds out for guests, and there’s something about the way it’s built that makes it seem like there’s much more room when you expand it than there is wood hanging down from the folded form, so an entire family of at least seven can fit around it. Sometimes there’s more. When it’s Barry and Lup’s turn to host the weekly family dinners, they sometimes get Merle’s kids, and Angus always comes trailing behind Magnus, and he brings along his best friend Carey and her wife Killian, and of course Kravitz comes, if he can get the free time. 

The kitchen window above the table faces east, and in the mornings, the sun hits it just right and the two of them are bathed in golden light and warmth. It’s a beautiful hilltop view of Neverwinter stretching out in all its glory below them, but with Lup sitting across from him, Barry hardly notices, especially with the sun setting her cheekbones and jawline and nose aglow, and giving her eyes a shine that reminds him of fire. The passion with which she faces each day inspires him to no end, just as how the awe in his eyes when he looks at Lup inspires her. 

Sometimes Carey or Kravitz will see the way they touch each other, softly but surely, and will tell them they are a match made in heaven. The truth, Barry knows, Lup knows, Taako and Magnus and Lucretia and Davenport and Merle know, is that they’re a match made in hell. That 100 years spent dying and returning, never aging yet nothing staying the same, was nothing if not purgatory. 

But now, Barry has found paradise in every moment of every day, so long as he is never alone again. And he rarely is. Lup and Kravitz are good company at work. Lup is loud and mean and tends to stumble in with messy hair and fire in her eyes and on her hands. Kravitz is always poised, but he’s extremely funny in the subtlest of ways, a way very few people alive are privy to. No one ever imagines the Grim Reaper is a funny colleague to keep around when you’re killing people, but Barry can see how he makes Taako laugh in that familiar way that gave him that mysterious bellyache when Barry didn’t have his memories. Taako comes over often, and they go over to Taako’s often, and he and Lup disappear into the kitchen to gossip or to their bedrooms to argue over who owns which clothes now that Lup is alive again. Taako has never failed to remind Barry of every hope he has for the world with just a crooked smile. 

Davenport swings by when he’s moored nearby to ask if Barry’s keeping up his piano, and his necromancy, and he whispers the last part like Barry isn’t kind of an authority on what constitutes necromancy crime and what doesn’t. He always comes bearing exotic clothes and pots and coins from continents unknown, and he always beams as he entertains everyone with stories not unlike the ones of their hundred year journey. He is no longer silent. Barry likes the melodical tone he assumes when he tells stories of his heroic escapades, and the way he stutters when he exaggerates so much it makes a plot hole. 

Merle comes to family dinners with a teenager, a toddler, and tea. Sometimes, the tea smells worse than Mookie, but Barry trusts that Merle has taken care with the mystery roots and leaves. It’s a prayer for healing in his own subtle way, even when you’re already healthy and happy as possible. Merle always believes that there is possibility for more, and Barry still admires it after everything they've been through. When Merle looks at his kids, Barry is content knowing he’s found his everything. When he drinks the awful smelling tea, it reminds him of how much he is loved. 

Magnus offers carpentry comps and encouraged Barry and Lup to start fostering dogs. It gives him an excuse to come over and offer lessons to every lab and pomeranian and chihuahua that comes through their home. Many a summer afternoon is spent with Barry and Magnus on their stomachs while sunbeams burst through the living room windows while they play with Daisy or Marty McFly or Travis or Buttercup or whatever darling is currently with them. Magnus’ smile shines brighter than the sun. Barry knows the loneliness of losing the one you love, but he and Magnus have found love again. Magnus sees it in new places, with the friends he thought were lost, with the dogs he loves, with his best friend and her wife. Barry is glad he is a part of the love that makes Magnus burst at the seams. 

Lucretia comes over on Thursday evenings or Sunday afternoons to daintily sip wine and chat with Barry and Lup. She tells them everything that happens back at the BoB, and Lup listens intently as if she’s keeping up with a soap opera. Barry just laughs. He admires Lucretia even more than he did all those years ago, and the same goes for Lup. They’ve all grown out of fear, and Barry loves and loves and loves without consequences for the first time in a long time. Lucretia takes note, and it makes her a little less lonely. Barry knows he’s helped what matters. 

And Lup is who he wakes up with, and she is who he goes to sleep with, and it goes without saying that he loves her unconditionally every hour of the day. Just as Barry has always been afraid of the dark, he and Lup have always found each other and it has made him happier than anything else and sadder than he had ever experienced before her. He reaches across the table to take her hand, and the ring glints on her finger and his heart swells. It’s been ages since love has made Barry sad, and he’s forgotten how heartbreak feels even after 10 years of it happening over and over and over again. He drifted from place to place, The Lover of prophecy condemned to a decade of loneliness, but he finally found home and he has never been happier. His cheeks redden as he looks at Lup and kisses her gently across the tabletop. Barry will never really die, but he feels like he is in heaven with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this hasn’t been betaed we die like men!

**Author's Note:**

> This work is not super complex, I’ve just planned a bunch of good sweet stuff for all the characters! I like to imagine their endings beyond one year later, so these will just be sweet little oneshots.


End file.
